The plan to build the arena was created by then Blackhawks owner Bill Wirtz and Bulls owner Jerry Reinsdorf. The United Center's predecessor was the Chicago Stadium, the original "Madhouse on Madison", which was demolished after the new arena opened for business on August 18, 1994. The first ever event at the United Center was the WWF (now WWE) event SummerSlam (1994). Due to the 1994–95 NHL lockout, the Blackhawks did not move in until January 1995.

The east side of the stadium features statues of Michael Jordan (known as "The Spirit"), Bobby Hull and Stan Mikita, while a statue of various Blackhawks sits to the north on Madison Street, where the Chicago Stadium was located.

Contents

Arena information1

Events2

Sports2.1

Concerts2.2

Family events2.3

Television events2.4

Political events2.5

Renovations3

300 Level3.1

Hardwood Floor3.2

Banners4

Bulls4.1

Blackhawks4.2

Sponsorship5

Job Opportunities6

Seating capacity7

See also8

References9

External links10

Arena information

The Bulls and Blackhawks operate the United Center through the United Center Joint Venture, a 50/50 partnership of the two teams. It covers 960,000 square feet (89,187 m²) and is located on a 46-acre (19 ha) parcel, west of the Chicago Loop.[10] The arena is the largest in the United States in physical size, though not in capacity. Its exterior bears a striking resemblance to that of Chicago Stadium. It seats 19,717 (not including standing room) for hockey (highest attendance at a Blackhawks game was the clinching Game 6 of the 2015 Stanley Cup Finals against Tampa Bay with 22,424[11]), 20,917 (not including standing room) for basketball (highest attendance at a Bulls game in 2012 was 23,028 vs. Miami) and up to 23,500 for concerts. The United Center hosts over 200 events per year and has drawn over 20 million visitors since its opening. It is known for routinely exceeding seating capacity for Bulls and Blackhawks games.

United Center's acoustics were designed to amplify the noise level in order to recreate "The Roar" – the din of noise that made Chicago Stadium famous, especially during hockey games.[12] During hockey season, an

See also

20,500 (1994–2009)

19,717 (2009–Present)

22,428 (With standing room)

Hockey

21,711 (1994–2009)

20,917 (2009–Present)

23,129 (With standing room)

Basketball

23,500

Concerts

Seating capacity

The United Center has many job opportunities. A few examples of those opportunities are in the restaurants where you could be a server, a hostess, a bartender, or even a barback. Also, jobs are always available to be apart of the guest services. This pertains to being a greeter/ticket scanner, an usher, or working security. More information about these jobs and their descriptions are found on the United Center's website.

Job Opportunities

Anheuser-Busch has also gotten themselves in the door of the UC through a sponsorship. They are partners with both the Chicago Bulls and Chicago Blackhawks and have gained rights to signage inside the arena along with a pub.[30]

In December, 2013, it was announced that an agreement had been reached to keep United's naming rights for the stadium for another 20 years. The United Center will see a series of updates and upgrades to the interior and exterior of the building. New signage, additional LED boards, and other elements have been added after reaching this agreement. LED screens have been installed on the north side of the arena along with a panoramic LED board on the 300 Level, eliminating the "Welcome To The Madhouse" sign.

United Airlines pays about $1.8 million per year until 2014 for its naming rights.[29] United merged with Continental Airlines in October 2010, retaining the former's name, as well as the latter's logo and corporate look. The stadium continued to use United's Tulip logo for the duration of the 2010-11 season. For the 2011-12 season, all the previous United signs were replaced with the new Globe logo. Two new lit signs on the east and west ends of the arena saying "United Center" with the United Globe in the middle were revealed below the upper level suites complimenting the former "Madhouse" signs on the north and south sides.

United Center's former logo, used until September 2011. The logo was changed to the current one to reflect United Airlines' own logo change as part of their merge with Continental Airlines.

Bulls

The following banners hang from the rafters of the United Center honoring past and present Bulls and Blackhawks.

The United Center's new LED lighting

Just before Game 2 of the 2013 Stanley Cup Finals at the United Center between the Hawks and the Boston Bruins.

Banners

The new court has been added to the UC this 2015-2016 season and includes multiple changes. The iconic bull head logo at center court has increased in size by 75 percent and the image of a basketball that was previously behind the logo has been removed. The “CHICAGO BULLS” text on the endlines has been changed to the font used in the official Bulls logo to make the court design more consistent with the Bulls brand, and the same font has been applied to the “Bulls.com” and the “@ChicagoBulls” text on the north apron of the court. The lines on the court have been changed from red and white to all black to emphasize the bold colors of the Bulls brand. The four stars from the City of Chicago flag have been added to the south apron of the court to highlight the team's civic pride and incorporate the “Chicago Basketball” branding campaign.[28]

Hardwood Floor

A variety of new menu items provided by the United Center’s new food and beverage provider, Levy Restaurants.

A new concession stand and seating area located in Section 326 called “Backstage. ”This area replicates the atmosphere of being backstage at a United Center concert and will include photos of music acts that played at the United Center along with a specialized menu from Levy Restaurants.

New concession stands and bars located at the top of the 300 Level on the north side of the arena to provide fans sitting in that area with easy access to food and beverage service.

Two new novelty areas carrying merchandise unique to "The Madhouse on Madison".

New concourse food stations with increased seating.

New video systems featuring photography, video and animation on the concourse walls which will create images and specialized programming for each individual event.

The United Center includes:

New for the 2009-10 season, the United Center’s 300 Level features a renovated concourse with 144 flat screen televisions, new food and beverage stations above select seating sections and two new bars that open up to panoramic views of the arena. During the 2010 off-season, two additional bars with panoramic views of the arena were added along with the other two.[27] After the 2012-13 season, a third panoramic LED bar was installed around the 300 level, replacing the famous "Welcome To The Madhouse" signs.

One of the two former "Madhouse" signs of the UC before it was taken down after the 2012-13 season.

Political events

On May 17, 2011, OprahThe Farewell Season: Oprah's Surprise Spectacular was taped at the United Center. The program aired on television on May 23 and 24, 2011. Pictures from the event are displayed inside the arena entrance on the wall of Gate 4.[26]

Television events

The United Center has also provided a Chicago home for Barnum & Bailey Circus and Disney on Ice, which occur once per year; the Bulls and Blackhawks have a tradition of taking a two-week road trip when the circus is in town.[25]

On the weekend of March 5–6, 2011, the Professional Bull Riders made their Built Ford Tough Series debut at the United Center.[20] It was their third Chicago-area visit, having previously visited Rosemont's Allstate Arena in 2006 and 2008. The event at the United Center presented a unique scenario as instead of dirt, white crushed stone was used to cover the arena floor.

The arena has hosted the Stanley Cup Finals three times: in 2010, , and 2015. The Blackhawks won the first two Stanley Cups on the ice of their opponent in the sixth game of the series (Philadelphia's Wachovia Center in 2010 and Boston's TD Garden in 2013). However, they won the 2015 series against the Tampa Bay Lightning at home in the sixth game, the first time since 1938 the Hawks clinched the Cup in Chicago.[19]

Sports

Events

Both the Chicago Blackhawks and the Chicago Bulls play here during their seasons with some of their games happening on back to back nights. With this, the hardwood floor for the Bulls games is laid across the top of the ice that the Blackhawks play on. The floor is put together like a puzzle and taken apart when the Blackhawks have a game. A link to a time-lapse sums it all up.

As of the 2009–10 renovation, the stadium has 169 executive suites on three levels.[15]

Its building is 300 feet tall. Costing $175 million to build this monstrosity of an arena, the United Center mainly consists of concrete and steel. 3,500 tons of steel to be exact. Another very important material used in the construction of the United Center was drywall. 645,000 square feet of drywall was used to make the arena look as good as it does. In comparison, that amount of drywall could cover thirteen floors of the Willis Tower. [14]

[13]

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